Interview: Port Vale CEO Matt Hancock on a “challenging but good summer”

We spoke to Port Vale CEO Matt Hancock on the eve of the 2024-25 season and discussed a range of issues including work on and off the pitch over the summer, the club’s identity and hopes for the new season.

Here are our questions (in bold) and Matt Hancock’s answers. We’d like to thank the Vale CEO for giving his time for this interview.

How do you feel the summer has gone?

“There’s been so much change at the club over the summer. It’s been a busy summer on the pitch but off the pitch as well. We’ve had a restructuring at the club about how we’re running the club and we’ve got lots of projects going on. We feel like we’re in a really good place but with any period of change there will be a little bit of time needed to bed in. It will take time for the players to bed in, to see how the club operates and how they play together. ”

How it’s been in terms of working with Darren Moore and being involved in the transfer business?

“It’s been relentless. That’s the word I’d use to describe Darren too. He’s led the face-to-face negotiations and selected the types of characters he wants in his team. At the end of the season we did work on the types of people we want in the club and that is – players who represent the fans. We want them to get what the club’s values are and to be good people with good standards. Darren has put the tick in the box for every single signing but there’s also been a team of us looking at different things around that player, such as the character as well as obviously the ability.

“We’ve also tried to get players who are living in a closer proximity to Vale Park. It’s been a long slog but for me it’s been brilliant as we’ve been able to reset the whole club. A challenging but good summer.

“The decision making on the players has absolutely been Darren’s but from a budget and culture and values view, for me to be involved in that has been really good for me.”

And to pick one example of the player’s character, the passion and commitment shown in Ruari Paton’s first interview – fans really identified with him…

“I think you’re right Rob. Ruari’s a good example but we also had Ronan Curtis and Ryan Croasdale after the open training session asking ‘When’s the next one?’ which I’ve never heard before. They see the importance of connecting to the supporters. Having that instilled in them is so important and it absolutely helps when you can connect with the players. ”

If I can move onto the stadium, what will fans see that’s different around the ground for the first home game?

“Some things they will see pretty obviously but there’s also been hidden work that the fans may not see and it’s important to update them on that work too. One is the pitch, upgrades to the main pitch and sprinklers for the first time. This has been done from an efficiency point of view but also because Darren Moore likes the pitch to be wet at certain points so we can try and use it to our advantage. The training ground pitch has also been massively updated. It’s now a similar standard so from a training point of view the players get that consistency.”

“Obviously the toilet block in the Railway is now open. It just needs a final lick of paint. We’ve got more toilets, more female toilets. more accessible toilets.

“There will be changes visually around the ground you’ll see at the Tranmere game. To brighten up the stadium and when you walk in you feel you are at home now and you are thinking of some of the memories from years gone by. We are going to be building on that with the supporters.”

And away from the stadium?

“We’ve got new ticketing and a new website. We’ve had a few teething issues with ticketing. The issue has either been the migration or training errors so it’s been us rather than Ticketmaster. We needed to get it right at our end and we’re there now. It will become a lot easier. The scanners on a match day have been tested and are so much quicker and efficient.

“There’s also an app we are hoping to launch imminently. The website is still a work in progress but it will give a better experience. But the app is what I am most excited about. We will be able to keep people up to date and people will be able to select what they want to hear from the club.

“There’s been plenty of unglamourous work too. Work on the drains, IT, security systems and new boilers. These are definitely not cheap but supporters won’t necessarily see those changes.”

I would imagine all this can only be done thanks to the backing of Carol and Kevin (the club owners)?

Yes. Carol and Kevin have been phenomenal. They have kept their commitments over this pre-season period. It has demonstrated again that they are the right owners for this club.

And on that note, the connection between club and fans seems to be a lot better than last season. How has that relationship been rebuilt?

“We obviously reviewed on and off the pitch right at the end of the season and it didn’t take too long to conclude that we’d had a really poor season. But what hurt the most was the disconnect between the club, the supporters and ultimately the team too. Carol and Kevin bought the club for the supporters, they bought it to make a difference to the local community and because they felt the heritage needed to be protected. To feel that last year that had got lost did hurt.

“We wanted to look at what is the purpose of the club and what we realised is that it’s about being a successful club on and off the pitch. What we’ve realised is that you can’t do one without the other. If we don’t get the football side we’re going to get criticised, so being successful on and off the pitch is important. But equally the club being at the heart of the community is one of the most important things to Vale and to Kevin and Carol. It’s something we’re really keen to do. We also communicated with staff that any question we have internally we needed to make sure we have listened to fans. Have we put the concerns of the fans at the heart of the decision we’re making? It’s definitely not about the fans being the decision makers but it’s about absolutely ensuring we listen to the people we need to.

“The next bit was putting the supporter engagement plan together. What I tried to do is talk to as many fans as possible. People like yourself and more formal groups like the Supporters Club. It was us listening to the fans. We’re listening a lot more and fans feel more connected.

“The launch of the supporters engagement plan also means we have publicly committed to the things we want to do. Holding me and the club accountable for them is important.

“But I also spoke about the team earlier. We live in a tough area. A lot of our supporters have tough lives and Vale is the release – that has to come with a connection to the first-team and the club. Getting players who understand that has been critical. That is the biggest element that will bring that connection back.”

What’s next on your “to-do” list? Is it predominately the Supporters Engagement Plan?

“Yes and the formation of the Supporter Advisory board. How people can get involved in that will become clear in the next few weeks. We want it to be supporter-led and make sure it is a diverse group of supporters in terms of their vision and support for Port Vale. What we don’t want is a group of supporters who all see Vale in the same way. That’s crucial and going to be a big part of it.

“We’ve put a plan together, done a lot of thinking, writing things down and it’s now getting on with it. That’s the bit that’s exciting for me.

Finally, what are your hopes for next season?

“Ultimately I’m a football fan and I feel privileged to work at Port Vale. Of course I want us to do well.

“I think we’ve got a good chance of doing that but football’s a funny thing. Stockport won the League but struggled to win at the start of the season wheras we were up at the top early last season and ended up being relegated. So, it’s a long slog and I’m prepared for the long slog.

“I want us to be professional and do things right but also to represent our supporters properly and have a good time. I do want to enjoy this season as best as I can.”

What do you think of Matt Hancock’s views? Share your views and post a comment below.